"Lust, that's Shane over there!" Hailie's scream got him on feet right away, but she already squeezed through the gate on the cemetery. Before he had a chance to catch her and stop from committing the biggest stupidity, she was gone in the fog, running to someone, who wasn't there at all.

"Hailie, stop!" Lust yelled, but doubted that once she was in the cemetery, his voice would reach her. He followed her into the mist, not able to tell where she went. "Fuck!" He kicked the cobblestone that was standing closest to him, breaking it into two. He might've even just vanished a soul by that gesture, but who knew. This cemetery was like a nightmare. He didn't know much about it, but he was sure that you couldn't trust your eyes here. Or at least humans couldn't. It was impossible for Shane to be here, besides whatever Hailie saw, Lust couldn't and that was making it more obvious that it was never here. "Hailie!" he screamed, but as an answer got only hurling of the wind. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" The anger filled his body. He should've watched her closer, but he didn't think that Hailie would go into the cemetery. That thought didn't even cross his mind.

He hated that place, even though it was the first time he was here. It wasn't hard for him to find a way leading to Casino Hell. The problem was that's not where he wanted to go. He wanted to find Hailie and that wasn't that easy at all. This place was like a labyrinth. Worse, actually, because in the labyrinth it was at least easy to see what was in front. In the cemetery Lust could only see more of those unimportant gravestones, some broken statues, some dangerous shrubs and mist.

Lust looked at the entrance, thinking how to find Hailie. There was no use in walking around the cemetery and screaming for her, hoping she would hear. I'd be looking for a needle in a haystack.

"I'm a demon, I'm not going to be fooled by this place," he murmured under his breath, trying to remember the right spell to use.

In the place forgotten

One soul unbroken

With misleading spots

Lost in the thoughts

Let there be a knot

For the soul I sought

One bound to another

Coming back to each other

With his last word a golden rope appeared around his wrist. He blinked a few times, because for the last times he used this spell, there was always a black one, never a golden one. He didn't think about it much longer, because his main goal was to find Hailie, before something horrible would happen to her. He followed the glistening golden rope that was floating in the air and disappearing further into the mist. It was leading him straight to the soul that was now bound to him. Nothing else mattered, he didn't even look at the souls he was passing by. They weren't looking at him as well, lost in their own thoughts, trying to remember who they were and where they were going. For him that was not an unusual view, but for Hailie something like that must've seem horrible. Those blurry souls looked as zombies or empty shells of something that used to be human. Lost in the fog and trapped in a cemetery, which they were never about to leave.

Lust started walking faster, trying not to give in to his feelings. Demons shouldn't be worried, neither afraid of anything. And yet, when Lust finally saw Hailie, he felt more relieved than ever. She was looking at the golden rope that was floating around her wrist, wondering what it was and where did it come from.

"Hailie!" he called with a momentary calmness.

The moment their eyes met, Hailie's mouth stretched into a smile. She had covered the distance between them and fell into his arms, hugging into him tightly, just as if she was never about to let him go.

"Oh, I was so scared!" she said, still feeling her heart beating rapidly. It slowly started beating in a normal rhythm the longer she was hugging Lust. She was so terrified that when she opens her eyes and look up, he'll be gone, and she'll be alone again.

"I'm here," he said, stroking her back and wondering about that weird feeling that took over his body. It felt so good to be here with her, even if that was the last place, they should be in. "But we need to go." Although it was nice to have Hailie so close, the time was a key aspect. Lust had no idea how the cemetery might mess up with Hailie's head and he didn't want to find out. "We need to get out of here." He turned around, looking for the right way.

Focus, Lust.

It wasn't about going where he thought he was supposed to. He had to trust his instincts and so he caught Hailie by the hand and started walking through the mist.

"Are we far away?" she asked, feeling a sudden dizziness.

It was like she was drunk again and the world became blurry, but Lust's strong grip was keeping her in the reality.

"I don't know, but I need to keep you here with me. You can't forget anything, so, just tell me something. Start talking. About whatever you want."

"Oh?"

That sounded way easier than doing it. Suddenly, it felt like Hailie had an emptiness in the head, when she tried to find something to talk about. Her sister, Molly? Oh, she wondered what was going on with her. They haven't talked in a while. And her parents, they didn't even know about Jayson's return. They would be so worried! She shouldn't keep it a secret, but they went through so much already.

"Hailie!" Lust woke her up, making the thoughts go away again.

"Okay, so, um, I hate spinach. I mean, it's so green and it has awful taste! And uh, that might sound weird, but sometimes I got scared, because of the darkness. I don't know why, it just makes me think about Jayson, about him coming out of nowhere and-"

"What's your favorite book?" he asked, trying to help Hailie. Lust didn't want to listen about that dirty scumbag he wanted to drag down to Hell. "What's it about?"

"Well, I really like books written from few perspectives. Don't judge, but my favorite one is about the magical kingdom, where the main characters are the princess, who can't deal with loss and cruel past, and the darkness queen, who is trying to take control over the realm. But there's also a good-hearted thief, who has been accused of a crime he didn't commit and a selfish, but charming prince. Also, let's not forget about a girl, who's trying to overcome her fear and a clairvoyant, who falls in love with the wrong person," once she started talking about the book, it was like all the memories came back to life. She used to read so many books in the past. Staying up late just to finish another chapter. And another, and another. Now she only had time to read university books.

"That sounds interesting." Lust took a sudden turn right, almost stumbling upon a gravestone. He wanted to destroy them as they were only making it harder to walk in this unending labyrinth. "Your favorite snack? Wait, don't answer, it's chocolate cupcakes."

"How do you know?!" Her eyes got wider. Oh, she would definitely use a cupcake right now to ease her nerves.

"I might've heard a thing or two about you." He smiled mischievously. "What do you want to learn the most?"

"How to play the piano." It was the first thing that came into Hailie's mind, but it seemed to be the one thing that made Lust froze for a moment. He quickly shook it off and continued walking with Hailie. They were lucky not to meet many souls on their road. Besides, he made Hailie busy enough for her not to look around. "It's just, I don't know, it'd be nice to play on some kind of instrument. Piano was the first thing I thought about, but honestly, I'd love to play the guitar as well. Or saxophone. And you, you know somebody who played the piano," she dared to say, because it was not the first time she noticed how weird Lust acted. "Missy?"

"How do you know about her?" He was not that surprised. In the house it was hard to keep anything a secret. With Pride and Envy as Hailie's friends he could be sure that he would be a number one topic on many occasions. "Yes, Missy. She was like a daughter for me."

Hailie stopped walking, making Lust stop as well. She made a sad face and just hugged him.

"You can tell me, whenever you'll be ready," she said quietly, knowing it was not the right moment for this kind of conversation. "But for now, what's your favorite animal?"

He chuckled. Would it be wrong to say 'human'?

"Horse."

"Because of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse?"

Lust started laughing and so did Hailie. They've started walking again. He felt like they were close to the exit and yet he couldn't see any.

"That's why it should be me, who asks the questions here. So, for what in your life do you feel most grateful?"

"Moving into the house." Now it was Lust who got surprised. He always thought that this house was like a nightmare to all its owners. "It may be pathetic, but seriously, all seven of you made me happier than I ever was." Her words were just showing how unfair life was. Hailie deserved much more happy memories than the ones she shared with them.

On the other hand, Lust knew that the moments he spent with her will always stay in his memory. As the good ones.

The wind picked up. A real windstorm broke before them, making the shrubs and the leafless trees sway as if something was trying to tear them out of the ground. Lust didn't know what was going on, but it was definitely a bad sign. Until now, the weather was calm in the cemetery. It was dark and ugly, but not dangerous. Now it felt as if the wind was trying to unbalance them. Lust shifted to shield Hailie, who squeezed her eyes tight as she could, because of the grains of sand hitting her face. It felt as if the temperature had dropped a few degrees, turning the cemetery into an ice arena. Hailie couldn't believe how Lust could stay so hot, especially since he was in an ordinary T-shirt. But standing so close to him, it made her warmer.

She took a deep breath, trying to remember what they were doing here in the first place. And what this here actually was? She opened her eyes, but the mist obscured the clear view. She tried to stay on the surface, but it felt like she was fading away. Like something was missing, but she couldn't quite name what it was.

"Hailie?" Lust felt her uneasiness and the wind stopped as fast as it started. A moment later and it was like it never happened.

She raised her head and looked at the man standing in front of her with a lost gaze. "Who?" she asked, wondering if Hailie was the person they were looking for.

"Oh, no." Lust pulled her tighter in the direction he thought was right.

"Hey! Watch out, because being a hottie doesn't mean you can make me go wherever you want!" she said, like she was about to get offended. "Although I hope you're taking me somewhere fancy." She started laughing like a little child, making Lust just sight.

"There it is, finally," he said, noticing a bright gate in the distance. It was a different one, but it was still an exit. Right now, that was all that mattered. He'll be worrying about the place they get into after they go there.

He wanted to walk up to the gate, but Hailie stopped on the dirty road and refused to go any further. Lust thought that it was not the right time for quarrels with a girl who didn't even know what to quarrel about. She was thinking about something intensively and her smirk gave away that it was nothing good. Lust was trying to figure her out as she started coming closer to him with her eyes set on his face.

"Do you think about the same thing as me?" She put her hands on his t-shirt and slowly slipped them under, feeling his hot and muscular body.

"I don't," he breathed out hardly. It was a lie, because having Hailie so close, it was hard not to think about kissing her right now. "Hailie, we need to go."

"Is that my name?" She stepped on her tiptoes and licked him on the cheek. "I think I'm falling for you, stranger," she whispered, making it even harder to resist. After all, he was a lust demon. And here he had the girl he wanted so bad for so long. Finally, admitting that she wants him too. It would be so easy just to lean and kiss her, to have her.

But he couldn't. Not like that. Hailie wasn't herself right now.

"Honestly, I hope you'll tell me this one day as Hailie." He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "But right now, it just doesn't matter, cause it's a lie," he said with his voice more dejected than it should be.

Before Hailie tried to do anything else, he swept her off her legs and took into his arms. She didn't even object, when he carried her to the foot of the gate, at last. He wished more than anything for her to regain the memory once they cross the gateway. He had no idea what to do if she stays with amnesia. He would never forgive himself.

With an unpleasant feeling in his stomach, he opened the gate with a hand, trying to balance with Hailie in his arms. It wasn't that hard, considering how light she seemed to him. They left the cemetery and all that annoying mist behind them, but the view that Lust saw wasn't making him feel any better. He wanted to curse, seeing the neon inscriptions and a bloody fountain. They were in front of the Casino Hell.

"Lust?" Hailie tilted her head with cheeks red as a tomato. "Um, could you put me down?" she asked with her voice so naively shy that I made Lust relieved, even if the situation wasn't that good at all. At least Hailie was herself again.

"Now I can. What's your name?" he asked, just to be sure, as he put her on the ground. She staggered so he held her up. After a journey like that, she might've felt a little bit dizzy and weak at her knees.

"No, I remember more than I would like to." She tried to cover her face with a hand, remembering how she tried to seduce Lust. What the amnestic version of herself was thinking? Now she felt more embarrassed than ever. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." First time, he wasn't in a mood for joking or flirting, even though the topic was perfect. He must've stayed focused, because they found themselves in a dangerous area. "Shane wasn't real. The Cemetery of the Forgotten likes to play tricks on your mind. Unfortunately, now we found ourselves in front of the Casino Hell. I'm afraid that the only way to keep you safe is walking up there. Inside, however dangerous it is, it's still less frightening then the outside, where no rules apply."

He hoped that as soon as they walk in, they'll find Sloth, Pride and Wrath. The more of them there was, the bigger chance of protecting Hailie they've had. From what Lust calculated, he and Hailie weren't that far behind them. Surely, they didn't find the one they were looking for yet.

"Rules?" Hailie got cold again. The longer they were standing in front of the Casino Hell, the more frightened she felt. Everything in here looked as if it was observing them. Even the twisted trees looked as if they were watching their every move. Was it even possible? And that fountain, however astounding it was, it gave Hailie goosebumps.

"Forgive me for saying it, but the moment we walk into the Casino Hell, you're going to become my property." Those were the rules. Demons and other entities were playing to win, and Hailie was about to become the soul they'd want the most. But since she belonged to him, at least in the Casino, he hoped that no creature would try any tricks. "That's going to be a fucking controversy, but what the Hell, let's do it."

He gazed at both of them. No way they were going in looking like that. With a snap of his fingers the regular t-shirt he was wearing and jeans changed for a black leather pants and a shirt with a deep slit revealing his torso. Hailie gasped, not able to look away. It was official, Lust was the hottest demon of all time. She doubted that anybody had as perfect a body as he had. Then she realized that Lust was looking at her the same way she was looking at him. Her head slowly bowed and Hailie realized that her clothes changed as well.

"Whoa!"

She was wearing a black gown that reached to the ground. It was made of a material that hugged her skin nicely, glistening even in the darkness that prevailed in front of the Casino. The dress was bare enough, with a V-neck and a waist slit that draped over her left leg. Sneakers turned into extremely comfortable black stilettos, and a diamond necklace appeared on her neck.

"Now, my lady, are you ready to bring some controversy into this world?" Lust asked, giving Hailie his arm. It was good for the safety that other entities were about to see her as his property, but he felt that she was his equal and that was how he was about to show her there. As his partner, a second half, not as a bartering item.